Canada's Free Carpool Service

save money

For Individual Drivers: Driving is expensive. The Canadian Automobile Association estimates that a 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier LS four door sedan driven 18,000 km per year costs an average $6262 to own plus $2205 to operate (not including tolls and parking), or $8467 annually. By carpooling, you can cut your operating costs from 50% to 75% and save a bundle.

For Institutions: Companies can reduce parking-related infrastructure, maintenance, and leasing costs, and governments can delay road infrastructure costs through more efficient use of existing resources.

reduce stress

Our roads are becoming congested with cars, hundreds of hours are wasted stuck in traffic jams, people travel farther from home to get to work than in the past, road rage is becoming a regular occurrence - and experiencing all this by yourself just isn't a lot of fun. Carpooling with another person is a great way to reduce the stress of these traffic conditions because it gives you someone else to talk to - and if enough people do it, traffic would decrease and reduce what is causing these problems in the first place! In some areas, this behavior is rewarded by providing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes where carpool vehicles fast track to their destination. Although HOV lanes carry significantly fewer cars than regular lanes, they actually carry more people.

for the environment

The everyday actions of Canadians produce more than one-quarter of our country's total greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation accounts for half of individual greenhouse gas emissions. The kind of vehicle and the number of kilometres driven can have a huge impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Carpooling is a relatively easy and cost-effective way for individuals and institutions to reduce their impact on the environment and become "Kyoto Compliant". In preparation for the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and as part of it's Climate Change Plan released in November 2002, the Canadian Government is asking Canadians to:

• Use the car less

  Driving 10 percent less, by walking, cycling, carpooling, or taking public transit, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 0.2 to 0.8 tonnes per year, depending on the vehicle.

• Buy a fuel-efficient vehicle

  A 25 percent more fuel-efficient vehicle could reduce emissions by more than one tonne per year and save $360 on an average annual gasoline bill of $1440.

• Use ethanol blend gasoline

  Current vehicles can use up to 10 percent ethanol blended gasoline without any adjustment to or effect on the engine.

• Reduce idling

  If every Canadian motorist avoided idling their vehicles for just five minutes a day, all year, more than 1.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, along with other toxic substances, would not enter the air.

for your health

Air pollution has become notorious for it's impacts on both human health and the natural environment. Every year up to 16,000 Canadians die prematurely from air pollution, according to Health Canada. Transportation is a big part of this problem. Research indicates that the increase in hospital admissions for children with asthma in recent years is directly related to worsening air pollution. Hospitalization of young boys in Canada increased by 28 percent and for girls 18 percent between 1981 and 1990. The health effects of fine particulate matter include respiratory illness, decreased lung function, premature mortality and exacerbation of asthma conditions. Some areas of Ontario are subject to high-level ozone episodes over 30 days per year.(1)

The Ontario Government will spend over $1 billion on health care directly related to air pollution problems. Ground level ozone (produced by NO and VOCs in the presence of sunlight) is directly responsible for 14% of respiratory related hospital admissions in infants (2). The chart below describes the effects of some of the worst air pollutants produced by the transportation sector (3). It has been noted that the health effects of these pollutants are especially dangerous to young children and the elderly.

effects of air pollutants produced by transportation